**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[actionjbone]

Thank you for your response. I just started thinking about it yesterday and will look into other boxes

. Of course I found it a bit pricey but wasn't sure if maybe it was made of a more expensive wood. I was wanting something that looks nice enough to be left out and isn't obviously a shine kit.

As mentioned, I thought this one might be too small anyways. I'd certainly have to leave out some of the products I have that see less use and I usually buy 100gram tins versus the smaller 50 gram that this box holds.

One of the "advantages" was that this comes with free shipping. I'm in Switzerland, which is nice, but selection of products is a bit more on the limited side. Shipping often adds $50 or more to the product's overall cost.

Oh well, back to the drawing board..thanks again.

Got any good antique shops in your area? You might be able to find a nice box there.

 

[JTMD]

Got any good antique shops in your area? You might be able to find a nice box there.

Thank you. What a great suggestion. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it on my own. 🙄

 

[Hurlazza4]

Thank you. What a great suggestion. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it on my own. 🙄

Here is the one I made myself using a box I found in my mother-in-law's house. The box was a bit like a small wooden suitcase. It had a handle which I removed but I added the leather pull tabs on the sides to make it easier to carry. I made the internal dividers to fit the products I wanted inside. It wasn't that hard and was made using simple hand tools (if you are a proper woodworker, please look away).

 

[JTMD]

Here is the one I made myself using a box I found in my mother-in-law's house. The box was a bit like a small wooden suitcase. It had a handle which I removed but I added the leather pull tabs on the sides to make it easier to carry. I made the internal dividers to fit the products I wanted inside. It wasn't that hard and was made using simple hand tools (if you are a proper woodworker, please look away).
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I haven't worked wood since high school shop class back in 1990. My results would not look anywhere near as nice as the work you did on that box. Thank you for sharing photos of it.

Some things just seem to slip the mind. I could hit the antique stores as actionjbone suggested, and now that you mention it, I could find something without dividers and have someone make them to specification.

I suppose nowadays the first reaction is to just go on-line and get what you want without much thought around it. That saphir kit suits my needs and was quick to find..but with a bit more effort I could have something a bit more unique and nicer looking.

As much as modern tech has been beneficial, it does have a few drawbacks..getting what you want at the touch of a screen prevents further consideration as to what you might actually prefer versus what is being shown to you..which for the most part is actually being sold to you..when I looked up shoe shine boxes they didn't give me photos like your's versus 100 different companies selling shoe shine boxes.

Oh well, better cut it off here before I start rambling 😅. Thanks again.

 

[actionjbone]

Here is the one I made myself using a box I found in my mother-in-law's house. The box was a bit like a small wooden suitcase. It had a handle which I removed but I added the leather pull tabs on the sides to make it easier to carry. I made the internal dividers to fit the products I wanted inside. It wasn't that hard and was made using simple hand tools (if you are a proper woodworker, please look away).
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Trimly makes some good ****. 👍

 

[prof.contingency]

Here is the one I made myself using a box I found in my mother-in-law's house. The box was a bit like a small wooden suitcase. It had a handle which I removed but I added the leather pull tabs on the sides to make it easier to carry. I made the internal dividers to fit the products I wanted inside. It wasn't that hard and was made using simple hand tools (if you are a proper woodworker, please look away).
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Great job with the internal dvidiers. I can see that you gave the corner mitre joints as well. well done!

 

[actionjbone]

I've been trying different ways to treat old leather soles, and I wanted to share a new experiment.

Background: I restore shoes in a wide variety of conditions. Part of that involves cleaning & treating leather soles that may be water damaged + dried out, and sometimes musty, but still pretty thick.

Zinc Oxide has been tested as a way of adding fungus resistance to leather soles: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15440478.2023.2226415

So I tried adding some.

Specifically, I have an old tube of Desitin. The kind with cod liver oil and 40% zinc oxide.

The photo shows old water-damaged Peal & Co shoes. After cleaning the soles, I rubbed Desitin into the leather. After letting it sit a while, I buffed the soles with an old rag.

So far, I've tried this three times. Obviously, it whitens the soles. The zinc oxide stays put, I haven't seen white marks on floors where I've walked.

It hasn't been long enough to see how this will affect wear. But so far I haven't seen any ill effects.

If folks are interested, I'll share progress over time. Or if anyone else wants to try it, we can compare notes.

 

[meno bort]

Any ecommendations on a cobbler in NYC? Is B. Nelson still the go to in the city? I need a pair of boots resoled and heel blocks replaced.

 

[Hurlazza4]

Trimly makes some good ****. 👍

Yes, two horse and one goat there in the photo. There's also a Trimly crepe suede brush obscured from view. I also have a bunch of their shoe trees. They're great value for money, I doubt you'd find better in Aus.

 

[rdstour]

Perfectly flush tips can be difficult because the curvature of the tips doesn't always match the sole curvature. That said the job seems a bit sloppy here with the lateral gaps but I wouldn't expect it to cause much trouble.

The upper damage is just terrible, I would be pissed. Difficult to say how it will evolve, that depends on how deep the cut is and how the leather creases when you walk.

Horrible work. Both the tear and taps. The shoes look really good so your instincts were on-point. The shoes are definitely wearable. Just unfortunate the cobbler had a bad day.

Nice shoes. I wouldn't mind. Enjoy your shoes.

Appreciate all the inputs from folks on here! I found the work a bit sloppy as well, given that the cobbler has done much cleaner taps on new pairs of shoes etc., but shoe repair is an art -- not a science. So I understand making space for variances / things to go not quite right. The scratch/cut/crease was most frustrating (whereas taps can always be redone), but alas.

At the end of the day, they were able to restore a rather vintage pair of shoes and I'll just see how they fare once I start wearing them.

 

[Johnniegold]

Any ecommendations on a cobbler in NYC? Is B. Nelson still the go to in the city? I need a pair of boots resoled and heel blocks replaced.

I haven’t used B. Nelson in a few years but whenever I sent shoes to be repaired, I was always satisfied with the results.

 

[uozay]

I have a habit of sometimes hitting the pavement with the toe of my shoe. Is it possible repair light scrapes and tiny holes that are caused by this?

 

[actionjbone]

I have a habit of sometimes hitting the pavement with the toe of my shoe. Is it possible repair light scrapes and tiny holes that are caused by this?

If it makes you feel better, we've all done that.

When that happens, I brush the area, condition the leather, brush, rub in colored cream polish, then brush well.

I might add a second bit of cream polish, especially if there are any deep scratches or dents.

If you like a high-gloss toe box, you can add wax polish after that. The wax may fill in small gouges and pits.

It may not completely eliminate the damage, but it'll make it feel more like it's part of the shoes' patina.

I've also used Kaps Renovating Cream to repair deeper gouges/tears on the toe box. (The cream doesn't get applied like polish, it should be used as filler and then polished over once dry.)

Hope this helps!

 

[William Kazak]

I had an observation today. To keep my leather shoes fresh I have not worn them very often. Sperry CVO shoes have a flat bottom. They are BOAT shoes! They are really not all that comfortable as streetwear. Anyone else? I image that a lot of flat bottomed trainers can become uncomfortable.

 

[Fenners81]

I had an observation today. To keep my leather shoes fresh I have not worn them very often. Sperry CVO shoes have a flat bottom. They are BOAT shoes! They are really not all that comfortable as streetwear. Anyone else? I image that a lot of flat bottomed trainers can become uncomfortable.

I had a pair of Rancourt boat shoes and yes I found them pretty unsupportive and uncomfortable, not to mention abhorrent to the eye. I also avoided wearing them, until I gave them away to my dad. I imagine he is now in the process of finding someone else to give them to.